GORHAM, Maine -- Junior Roberto Valenti (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic) drove a double down the left-field line to drive in two runs that capped off a three-run eighth-inning rally that gave the University of Southern Maine a 14-13 victory over Rhode Island College in the second game of the teams Little East Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the USM Baseball Stadium.

In the opener, the Rhode Island College used the strong pitching performance of senior Gary Levesque (East Providence, R.I.) and freshman C.J. Tsoumakas (Hope, R.I.) and junior Kyle Allaire's (Uxbridge, Mass.) three hits and three RBI to an 8-3 victory.

            The split leaves Southern Maine at 13-12 overall and Rhode Island College at 12-12.  Both teams are 3-4 in conference play.

            In the nightcap, the Huskies were down 9-0 before they even came to bat as the Anchormen took advantage of six hits, two walks and two infield errors.  Allaire had a three-run double and Levesque and junior Dan Hopkins (Cranston, R.I.) had two-run doubles.

            The Huskies came back with five in their half of the inning sparked by a two-run double by senior Mike Eaton (Sabattus, Maine/Oak Hill).  Eaton would hit a two-run homer in the second, and a solo shot in the sixth when the Huskies finally tied the score 10-10.

            The Anchormen regained the advantage, 12-11, on a two-run homer by junior Brent Hopkins (Cranston, R.I.) in the top of the eighth.  The Huskies tallied three unearned runs in their half on an RBI single by junior Anthony Pisani (Cheshire, Conn.) and Valenti's double.

            Junior Dustin Stanton (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) gave the Huskies a brilliant, long-relief effort going 7.2 innings to collect the win.  Stanton got some ninth-inning help from senior Ben Ives (Portland, Maine/Deering) who got the final two outs for to earn his first save.

            Eaton had four hits, including two homers, and five RBI to pace the Huskies' 18-hit attack.  Valenti and Pisani each had three hits.  Dan Hopkins led the Anchormen with three hits, including a pair of doubles.  Brent Hopkins had two hits and three RBI.  Junior Eric Blanchard (Warwick, R.I.) was the tough-luck loser.

            In the first game, Levesque dominated the Huskies bats, not allowing a hit over the first four innings.  The big right-hander would go seven innings giving up seven hits and no walks while fanning five.  Tsoumakas came on to hurl two hitless innings of relief.

            Allaire led the Anchormen's 15-hit attack with three hits and three RBI.  His RBI single capped a three-run second inning that staked Levesque to an early 3-0 lead.  Allaire also had RBI singles in the sixth and eighth innings.

            Sophomore Kevin Carey (Wakefield, R.I.) had two hits and two RBI, and junior J.P. Stone (Dover, N.H.) and Brent Hopkins each had three hits.  Carey had a sacrifice fly in the second, and an RBI double in the sixth.

            Senior Josh Mackey (Danvers, Mass.) had the Huskies first hit off Levesque, a solo home run, leading off the fifth and a leadoff single in a two-run, seventh-inning rally that got the Huskies back within two at 5-3.

            Southern Maine returns to action Monday afternoon (4:00 p.m.) playing at Saint Joseph's College (ME) in a rescheduled game.  Rhode Island College is at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).

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